Marion Crecco

Marion Crecco (January 25, 1930 – November 28, 2015) was an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1986 to 2002, where she represented the 30th Legislative District (1986–1992) and then the 34th Legislative District (1992–2002) following redistricting in the wake of the 1990 United States census.

Biography Crecco was born on January 25, 1930, to Joan and Jasper LaBruzzo of Newark. She attended Newark Arts High School, Art Students League of New York, Seton Hall University majoring in Marketing and Montclair State College where she majored in Liberal Arts.

Crecco had two daughters in addition to four grandchildren. Later in life, she and John moved to Verona. Crecco died on November 28, 2015.

Crecco was first elected to the General Assembly from the 30th District with running mate John V. Kelly in the Kean landslide election of 1985 defeating both Democratic Party incumbents Steve Adubato and Buddy Fortunato. She and Kelly were easily re-elected in 1987 and 1989 in the district consisting of northern Essex County municipalities. After redistricting following the 1990 Census, Crecco won five elections in the 34th Legislative District in 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999, serving together with Republican Gerald H. Zecker for all five terms in the Essex and Passaic county-based district.

While in the Assembly, Crecco served in the Republican leadership as Assistant Republican Whip from 1986 to 1989 and Assistant Majority Leader from 1992 to 1995. Building on an experience in which she was unable to connect with her niece following her sister's death, Crecco introduced legislation in September 1996 that would grant aunts and uncles visitation rights, in addition to the grandparents and siblings already covered for unsupervised visitations under previous law passed in 1993.

Following the 2001 apportionment which moved her residence of Bloomfield to the western Newark-centered 28th Legislative District, she ran for the New Jersey Senate in 2001 against incumbent Democrat Ronald Rice. A lawsuit filed by then-34th District Senator Norman M. Robertson alleged that the commission charged with drawing the Legislative districts worked to protect incumbent racial minority members of the New Jersey Legislature; the suit, in part, cited Crecco's hometown shift to the 28th District whose Senate seat was held by Rice, an African American. Ultimately, Crecco lost to Rice by a 69.4%-29.6% margin with an independent candidate taking 1.0% of the vote.